More and more pregnant women are asking for delivery by caesarean section. However, it is associated with a higher risk of complications for the mother and child compared to natural childbirth – argue the authors of the study published by Deutsches Aerzteblatt International.
In recent years, the percentage of caesarean sections has increased worldwide, especially in developed countries. In Germany, for example, in 1991 around one in six babies was born via caesarean section, while in 2012, almost one in three. On the other hand, medical indications for this type of delivery were found in less than 10%. all cases. According to the data of the World Health Organization (WHO), provided by the authors of the study, in Poland in 2008 the percentage of cesarean sections was less than 20%, and in 2011 – almost 30%.
To explain the reasons for this increase and the risks associated with elective cesarean section, gynecologists at the Ludwig-Maximilians Universitaet in Munich – Ioannis Mylonas and Klaus Friese – analyzed data from various studies, as well as data from the German statistical office and the network of German scientific medical societies (AWMF).
According to the researchers, the increase in the number of cesarean sections may result from the tendency of obstetricians to avoid the smallest risk associated with natural childbirth. Currently, the more at risk pregnancies include: pregnancies after the age of 35, the percentage of which is constantly growing, pregnancies in obese and diabetic women, which are also increasing in number, and multiple pregnancies, the percentage of which is increasing due to the spread of assisted reproductive technologies. .
However, an increasing number of pregnant women undergo caesarean section on request, for example for fear of the birth itself and the pain. The fact is that, compared to natural delivery, postpartum pain and damage to the reproductive tract after caesarean section are smaller (e.g. prolapse of the reproductive organs, urinary or faecal incontinence is less frequent).
In the latest work, the researchers also emphasize that caesarean section is a surgical procedure that poses the risk of various serious complications, including infection, damage to the bladder and intestines. The analysis showed that after caesarean section, at the request of the patients, they stay in the hospital longer than after vaginal delivery, and they are more likely to have their uterus removed due to hemorrhage and to cardiac arrest. However, the increase in the risk of these complications is not great.
In turn, in children born by caesarean section on request, complications from the respiratory system are more common. There is also an association between this method of delivery and a higher risk of autism in a child, bronchial asthma, type 1 diabetes, food allergies, and allergic rhinitis. In addition, some studies suggest that complications with breastfeeding occur more frequently after cesarean delivery.
On the basis of these data, the authors of the study recommend avoiding cesarean section at the woman’s request, and resigning from natural childbirth only when there are medical indications.